While my car was in the shop for maintenance, Jake and I took a 3.8-mile (6.1 Km) walk down, up, and all around the Albuquerque flood diversion channel. I was surprised how much Jake liked running down and up the steep sides of the flood control channels. Whenever we came up to the top of a channel, Jake would hop onto the road and give whatever was in front of us a look of intense interest. It was like a game for Jake.
The route
Jake peed on a high-voltage transmission line pole. He thought it was electrifying.
Serious security: An electric fence behind the cyclone fence and barbed wire.
Needless to say, Jake was worn out after his big adventure.
In 1947, students from St. Joseph’s College ignited a pile of tires in the J Volcano, causing panic in Albuquerque as some people thought it was going to erupt. Later attempts at the same prank failed to cause even a stir. Nowadays, the pranksters would be charged with multiple felonies, smacked with harsh penalties and prison time.
Little House on the lava with a volcano in the background.
At this time last week, we were staying at the Hotel Giles in Comfort, TX (https://www.hotelgiles.com/). We had driven 687 miles to Comfort to experience the total eclipse of the sun. Comfort, TX, was in the direct path of the eclipse, so we got around 4 minutes and 20 seconds of totality. Hotel Giles is a wonderful hotel that was perfect for viewing the eclipse with its large open space behind the hotel. The owners and staff were friendly and went out of their way to make our stay pleasant and memorable. They kept us informed on what was happening in Comfort, arranged for lunch, and made the guests dinner for a reasonable price on Monday since most restaurants were closed on Monday. A delicious home-cooked breakfast was included in the price of the room, and the coffee was excellent. If you are in the area, I highly recommend staying at the Hotel Giles.
The Hotel Giles was originally Hotal Faust, designed and built by architect Alfred Giles for Paul Ingenhuett in 1880. Alfred Giles was an English architect who moved to San Antonio, TX, in 1875 for health reasons and became a well-known and influential architect in San Antonio, southwestern Texas, and northern Mexico. He was also involved in ranching near Comfort. You can read more about Alfred Giles at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Giles_(architect).
The room we stayed in.
Interior stairway and the Parlor where guests gather. They have jam sessions on Friday nights.
This guy had been waiting for years for the eclipse.
No Sandhill Cranes yet, just a big industrial crane. One of the five HVAC units on the roof of the office building went out a few weeks ago, and we had to replace it. Today was the day. Robert with ABQ Elite has been taking care of our HVAC for the past two years. He replaced the unit with the help of one of Gino’s cranes. They had to take off one of the iron grates that covers the HVAC units, lift out the old unit, and lift the new unit into place. Robert’s technicians, Gino and Mr. Willams, the crane operator, were a great team and had the roof grate off, the units replaced, and the roof grate back on in an hour’s time. Mr. Williams is a skilled crane operator, moving the equipment with great precision.
This video shows an hour’s work compressed into two minutes. There is music with the video.
PNM Building from 5th and Silver in Downtown Albuquerque in 1980.
PNM Building in 2015. PNM had moved out and the building was for sale. The asking price was $6,250,000 for a total of 251,523 square feet — $24.85/SF was a great deal at the time.
The PNM Building in 2019. Bernalillo County purchased the building and was renovating it. The round-cornered building on the NE corner of 5th and Silver was demolished to build new chambers for the County Commission.
Demolishing the building on the NE corner of 5th and Silver.
The old PNM Building turned into the Bernalillo County Building in 2022.
Off Center & Not Even 